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The Effect of Graphical and Numerical Presentation of Hypothetical Prenatal Diagnosis Results on Risk Perception

^* To whom correspondence should be addressed. E-mail: msiegrist{at}ethz.ch.

	Abstract

Objective. To evaluate various formats for the communication of prenatal test results. Design. In study 1 (N = 400), female students completed a questionnaire assessing risk perception, affect, and perceived usefulness of prenatal test results. A randomized, 2 (risk level; low, high) x 4 (format; ratio with numerator 1, ratio with denominator 1000, Paling Perspective Scale, pictograms) design was used. Study 2 (N = 200) employed a 2 (risk level; low, high) x 2(format; Paling Perspective Scale, risk comparisons in numerical format) design. Results. In study 1, the Paling Perspective Scale resulted in a higher level of perceived risk across different risk levels compared with the other formats. Furthermore, participants in the low-risk group perceived the test results as less risky compared with participants in the high-risk group (P < 0.001) when the Paling Perspective Scale was used. No significant differences between low and high risks were observed for the other 3 formats. In study 2, thePalingPerspective Scaleevokedhigherlevels ofperceived risks relative to the numerical presentation of risk comparisons. For both formats, we found that participants confronted with a high risk perceived test results as more risky compared with participants confronted with a low risk. Conclusion. ThePalingPerspective Scale resulted ina higher level of perceived risk compared with the other formats. This effect must be taken into account when choosing a graphical or numerical format for risk communication. Key words: risk perception; risk communication; prenatal tests. (Med Decis Making XXXX;XX:xx–xx)

First published on June 19, 2008, doi:10.1177/0272989X08315237

Medical Decision Making 2008;28:567.

A more recent version of this article appeared on July 1, 2008


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